A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Last month, I introduced you to luxury good purveyors Ancienne Ambiance and their wonderful Autumnal candle that brought a rich, comforting amber to the table.

This month, I’m bringing you a candle that brings the table to the table.

Say what?

I was sent the Christmas Pillar Candle in Christmas Fruits (£16) and it’s a gold-dipped extravagance of epic proportions.  Beautifully packaged it’s a perfect last-minute gift for any candle-lover in your life.

It burns for 90 hours with an aroma that epitomises all that is good about December 25th…

…Christmas Pudding.

The candle burns with a dark fruitiness that’s never tart nor acidic, just rich and decadent… I’m sure I can even detect a hint of booziness!

I can only burn this for short periods of time as I do find it becomes a little overwhelming after a while – strangely enough, exactly how I feel about eating Christmas Pudding!  Still, it’s better that than a scent you can barely detect right?

Ancienne Ambiance are accepting Christmas orders (by non-courier) up until 12pm on Monday 20th December to ensure that all deliveries make it to their destinations in time for Christmas.

Priced at £16 with free gift wrapping, it’s expensive appearance belies it’s reasonable price tag.

With one of those scents that manages to warm you up from the inside out – Ancienne Ambiance have captured some of the loveliest foodie essences of Christmas very well indeed.

If you know what the heck that title refers to, you get extra marshmallows on your hot chocolate.  If not, move along please… nothing to see here!

Candles are something that often get ‘lumped in’ with the beauty category… is it because they’re considered a bit of a pampering indulgence?  Buying an expensive candle is a bit like striking a match and setting fire to a couple of £20 notes after all… no?

With the rampaging toddler, I don’t get the opportunity to burn as many candles as I’d like.  I have my Annick Goutal treasure that I stroke lovingly and sniff wistfully, but if anyone were to put flame to wick, I’d do them some serious damage.

Here’s four candles that are on my radar at the moment:

Elemis, Daisy-Spa Candle (£25) – Daisy, Banana and Freesia.  Good grief, I actually can’t think of a more enticing combination right now.  Fresh and energising but with that fruity, tropical hit from the banana. Yum!  Available to buy online from TimeToSpa here.

Malin + Goetz, Neroli Scented Candle (£29) – I adore the spicy, bitter notes of Neroli… it’s far more complex than just plain citrus.  Neroli is one of the greatest scents for relaxation, this looks like a prime candidate for the bathroom!

Malin + Goetz candles can be purchased online at Liberty.

The Body Shop, Sandalwood & Ginger Scented Candle (£10) – Mmmmm Ginger… Are you noticing a recurring theme here?  I have a bit of a thing for foodie smells!  Bananas, Oranges… Ginger.  Sandalwood seems to smell different to me depending on the product, it’s quite variable… but the warm smell of ginger is an eternal favourite of mine.

Competitively priced at only £10, The Body Shop have a new selection of boxed candles to tempt you.  The Green Tea & Lemon one also sounds like a winner!

The Make Up Store, Your Valentine Scented Candle (£35) – Having had a good old sniff of the candles on display at The Make Up Store’s Carnaby Street shopfront, I can confirm that most of the scents are indeed, delicious!  A little pricey though at £35 each.

Your Valentine offers intoxicating notes such as Bergamot, Cyclamen, Vanilla and Praline… I’ve got the munchies again!  Available instore only.

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What do you think of such frivolities?  Do you have any favourite candles that you return to time and time again?

I’ve loved Annick Goutal fragrances ever since receiving samples of Eau de Camille and Eau de Charlotte, 2 fragrances created for her daughters.  Typically, I preferred Eau de Camille to Eau de Charlotte’s overly sweet scent, but my interest in her fragrances was piqued and I always get excited by new releases.

This isn’t new, but it is on sale… so if paying almost £40 for a candle is as much an alien concept to you as it is to me, take comfort from the fact that this beautifully scented candle is down from £37 to £28, still a stretch for me, although I do admit to being tempted thanks to some left-over Christmas cash.

What are your favourite luxury candles?  I have one Jo Malone that gets lit *very* occassionally (I’m talking about 6 times a year).  My Yankee tarts (that phrase might get me some weird hits!) get a far greater airing.

Annick Goutal La Rose Candle is on sale at Feel Unique